Thursday, 8 August 2013

Flor Patisserie by Chef Yamashita

Flor Patisserie is a little bit of a trek for those who don't know the area well. Its closest MRT (stands for 'Mass Rapid Transit' – Singapore's version of the Tube/Underground) stations are Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar, but Janice, Venetia and I unknowingly took a long walk from Outram Park Station with the help of a smartphone.

The patisserie is small – there's a capacity of six diners within the shop, with another three or so additional sets of tables and stools outside along the walkway. A few shelves affixed on the wall holds little bags of special cake-slices and cookies which are up for sale, such as walnut cookies, chocolate madeleines, butter cakes, coffee biscuits, sesame cookies, etc. Most of these have a covered bowl of sampling pieces by their side, which is great for curious tasters like myself.

The three-tiered display cabinet by the cashier was empty other than the top shelf, which was quite a shame, as options were limited, and it showed. Janice and I went for the mont blanc (above)for SG$6.95. (£3.50) After unwrapping the surrounding foil, there lay a light yellow sponge cylinder topped with chestnut cream, pierced by chocolate curls and a flaky pastry shard. Unfortunately, the latter was soggy and papery, and I felt that the dessert should have done without it.

The taste of the entire cake was extremely subtle, a la Japanese baking style of Chef Yamashita. The first bite didn't speak much, but the light chestnut flavour came through with more bites, and a single sweet chestnut is later revealed under the carefully-piped cream. Both the texture of the sponge and cream was light and airy, very easy to eat. It was my first time trying a mont blanc, and I quite enjoyed it, but I must say that it was overpriced for its size.

On a side note, check out this video of a Japanese YouTuber mum making 'dessert soba noodles'! (Actually a giant mont blanc) Watch until the end, her daughter's reaction is priceless.

I had a bit of Venetia's Wakakusayama, [pause to catch breath] which is a green tea Swiss roll filled with red bean cream, topped with fruits and sweet chestnuts. (SG$7.30, £3.65)

The flavour of green tea was strong in this cake. Rather heavy, almost bitter, not for those who usually stick to sweet treats. The red bean cream had a lot of authentic red bean taste, which is special to taste.

My friends and I decided to share an 'Ice Cheese Tart' out of curiosity. Each tart costs SG$3.40 (£1.70), and has varieties of strawberry, green tea, maple, mango, chocolate & orange, yuzu and caramel, which we ended up choosing.

The 'Ice Cheese Tart' turned out to be pretty much a frozen mini-cheesecake stuck fast to a paper mould, with an almond biscuit base. It was pretty annoying trying to bite or cut through the rock-solid cheesecake, but we didn't have patience to wait for it to thaw either.

The taste of the cheese tart was striking, and absolutely great. There's a distinct saltiness in the cream cheese which really improves the flavour of it. I didn't notice any obvious caramel flavour, but I'm guessing it was infused into the cream cheese somehow. I wouldn't mind going back to try the other flavours, especially maple, but I do wish they would sell these un-frozen!

Just when the three of us thought that we'd had enough cake for the day, a tray of Strawberry Soufflé (SG$6.60, £3.30) magically appeared on the only-occupied shelf in the display cabinet when it wasn't there before, threatening to become dessert for our dessert!

Gotta have it, we thought. It was okay height-wise, but was a narrow slice. Piled with blueberries and strawberries encased in clear jelly, the cake is made up of a thick middle layer of light, aerated cheesecake topped with chantilly cream and strawberry chunks, all sandwiched between light sponge cake, plus fine biscuit crumbs stuck to the side.

It was a very impressive cake, and I loved the hint of lemon in the cheesecake, which gave it a quiet, pleasant tang. Despite it being cheesecake, it was not too rich at all, because of the soufflé technique used to create an airy texture. The other two girls commented on sour strawberries, but the ones I ate seemed fine. This is a cake I'd come back for, it's delicious.

Due to the long walk under the hot, late-afternoon sun, we each got iced tea to cool ourselves down and quench our thirst. Janice went for green tea, Venetia a peach tea, and for myself, a mango tea. (SG$4.50, £2.25, except for the green tea which was slightly cheaper)

The teas were very pure – teabag, water, ice cubes, and no added sugar. I could barely taste mango in mine, but it was refreshing, nevertheless. The staff at Flor gladly lets you top up the water in your cup, so you can maximise the use of the teabag.

We each ended up spending about SG$15 (£7.50) per person, with all the drinks and shared cakes. Not somewhere one would frequent as a student, but a nice, quiet place to go for an occasional dessert-escapade, especially if you're into Japanese desserts.